


No One Else Gets Hurt

by find_nowhere



Category: Breaking Bad
Genre: Gen, puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-29
Updated: 2013-12-29
Packaged: 2018-01-06 13:41:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1107524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/find_nowhere/pseuds/find_nowhere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Walt gets Jesse a puppy. Contribution for Blue Christmeth Madness 2013!</p>
            </blockquote>





	No One Else Gets Hurt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [celeryy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/celeryy/gifts).



> Prompt: Seeing that he's not doing so well after their bad breakup in 5.07, Walt buys Jesse a puppy. (He's been reading about animal therapy.)  
> The thing is really damn cute. Jesse picks it up and it's wriggling everywhere and licking his face...  
> Jesse tries not to cry but he does anyways.
> 
> Enjoy!

The wriggling pile of puppies gazed up at Walt with their droopy ears, big eyes, and lolling, pink tongues. When they wagged their tails their entire furry rear-ends began thrashing around and they fell all over each other in a disorganized and uncoordinated desperation. He stared back at them through his glasses, hands in his pockets, wondering which one to choose. After all of the things he had done...all of the horrible things...he thought it would be easy to pick out a puppy. Did it really matter? They were all pretty much the same. They all seemed spastic and floppy. He eventually bent down and picked up a brown and black one because it was closest at that particular moment. He gathered that it was some sort of hound and decided that it would do.

He held the creature out at arms length and examined it. It thrashed in his hands and tried to lick his face, but it clearly had awful depth perception. It only succeeded at getting a glob of drool on the sleeve of his jacket. It would certainly do. It would serve its purpose and it was actually sort of cute the more he looked at it.

As Walt informed the volunteer at the animal shelter that he'd selected his puppy, he was glad Junior never asked for a dog. He cared more about cars than pets. It helped to keep their carpet clean. Had he asked for a puppy, Junior likely would have been denied. When he filled out all of the paperwork though and signed all of the forms he had expressed that it was for his son. He'd concocted a whole tale about how it would help his son with cerebral palsy. This was a big crock of lies, another set of lies to add to Walter White's collection - the puppy was for Jesse.

He had actually done some reading about animal therapy. There was a good body of research about animals and neurotransmitters. The puppy would also be something for Jesse to take care of. He didn't know how exactly he'd come up with an idea, but it seemed like a good one. The little, squirming thing would be like a therapy dog. He and Jesse had ended on a pretty shitty note last they spoke and what better to clear the air than a puppy?

Walt got into his car and sat the little animal in the passenger seat. He looked at it and said, "Stay."

He laughed, very suddenly and loudly, not expecting the beast to remain still anywhere. It didn't. It flopped over the center console and into his lap, tripping on its ears and feet that were too big for its body. He let it sit there as he drove and he felt pleased with himself. He did still have some small capacity to perform acts of kindness. He sure as hell hoped that Jesse would take care of the thing. Jesse could act like such a child sometimes, an insolent, meth-cooking child.

 

...

Tucking the puppy under his arm, Walt knocked on Jesse's door and then he rang the doorbell, growing instantly impatient. He wanted to drop off the animal and go. "Jesse, open up!" he said loudly. "I know you're in there."

Jesse shuffled across the floor looking bleary eyed and disoriented. He'd been asleep and planned on sleeping away the entire morning. I took a moment for the voice's owner to register and he stopped in his tracks and yelled back, "I made my decision and I'm done, Mr. White! I'm done with you and all your bullshit!"

"It's not about that," he retorted gruffly. He'd expected to be unwelcomed. The puppy whimpered.

Jesse's ears perked. Did Mr. White just whine like a dog? Was it a dog? He wiped the sleep from his eyes and went to look out of the window by the door. He moved the curtain aside a little then he asked, still through the door, "What is that, yo?"

"It's a puppy, Jesse. It's a baby dog."

"I know what a puppy is, bitch. Why do you have it?"

Walt paused for a few seconds and said in a kinder tone, "I figure it will fill the empty void in your life that you'll have if you stop cooking. You'll have video games, go-karts, and a dog."

"You got me a puppy, Mr. White?" He rubbed his eyes again and figured he must be dreaming. Not even his own parents would ever get him a puppy. He unbolted the deadbolt and started to open the door. For a split-second it crossed his mind that he was being manipulated yet again by the nefarious Heisenberg. Heisenberg wasn't wearing his hat though and instead he was holding a puppy.

"I got you a puppy, Jesse. I can't return it. The people at the animal shelter will judge me if I return it after only an hour."

He finally opened the door and when he laid eyes on the writhing black and brown mass, he impulsively reached out for it. He didn't care if it was some sort of twisted trick. He had nothing else to say. Walt handed it off to him with only a hint of a tight-lipped smile. The puppy became increasingly excited at the prospect of a new person to lick. It was really damn cute and Jesse held it against his chest, allowing it to slobber all over his stubble. Walt had not given in and let the puppy lick his facial hair at all.

"It's all yours," Walt told him. "Take good care of it."

"It's a girl, stop calling it an it," he muttered, still trying to be angry and have the conviction he'd had before.

"Fine. Fine. She's all yours. Take good care of her," he corrected. "I got you some puppy supplies in the car to get you started...food, food dishes, collar, leash."

The puppy rendered Jesse useless and he again found himself unable to form words. He couldn't even make it more than a few feet beyond the threshold of his front door before he sat down and let the puppy jump all over him. He ruffled her fur and she lunged at his face with her loose tongue that didn't quite seem to fit into her mouth. He could only manage to make little squeaking noises similar to the ones the puppy was making.

Walt sighed, almost sadly, but really he was feeling oddly content with what he'd done. He had barely thought about his meth empire. He went back out to his car get the other things he'd picked up and he thought about actually apologizing with words along with the puppy. Maybe a legitimate "I'm sorry" was in order. When he came back the puppy let out a shrill, little bark.

"Oooh!" Jesse squealed and Walt let out a chuckle.

"Here's everything," Walt said. "Don't call me if you start using again and spend all of your money on drugs then can't afford to feed your dog."

"God, Mr. White. I'll take care of the puppy, yo." He groaned melodramatically and then leaned down to let the puppy lick his face again, his groaning quickly turning into laughter. He felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he mashed his face into the puppy's little, soft belly to keep them at bay. He didn't want to cry, but then he felt her feet slapping against the sides of his head. He scooped the animal up into his arms, paying no mind to Mr. White, who was still standing in the doorway and now beaming, almost proudly, definitely contentedly.

Jesse sat on the floor cradling the puppy, who was now calming down marginally. She panted and then planted another wet lick on his chin and he started to cry. He couldn't help it and then he couldn't stop. He was laughing and big tears were streaming down his cheeks that the puppy was lapping at excitedly. Walt left all of the puppy accessories inside of the door then he stepped out and closed it quietly behind him.

 

The End.


End file.
